RentCafé: Baltimore rentals too pricey for tenants

Rents charged for homes and apartments in Baltimore are out of reach for many residents, according to a recent report by RentCafé. (File photo)

Baltimore is among the least accessible rental markets in the nation, according to a recent analysis.

A study by website RentCafé found of the nation’s 50 most populous cities Baltimore has one of the lowest percentages of rental properties tenants can afford. Residents making the “median renters household income” of $33,340 a year, according to the report, can afford the rent on about 30 percent of available units.

That’s based on an assessment of the total number of rental units, the median renter household income, and gross rents, using American Census Survey one-year results. Baltimore ranked sixth worst in the nation in terms of rental accessibility. But it still outperformed some cities, including Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia.

Median gross rent in Baltimore increased 18 percent from $880 a month in 2011 to $1,035 a month in

2017, according to RentCafé. At the same time median renter income increased nearly 37 percent from $24,402 a year in 2011 to $33,340 a year in 2017. Nationwide, according to RentCafé, rents increased 16 percent from 2011 to 2017 while median income for renter households surged by at least 26 percent during that time.

The accessibility rate, which compares incomes and the number of units that are affordable, increased from 25 percent to 30 percent. That was not enough, however, to keep up with other cities. As a result Baltimore fell two places in RentCafé’s rankings.

A household is considered rent burdened if it spends more than 30 percent of its monthly income on rent. The Abell Foundation issued a report in 2016 that found that 57 percent of tenants in the city pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent, and 33 percent pay more than half.

The Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, in its most recent Vital Signs report, discovered between 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 the percentage of households paying more than 30 percent of total income on rent in the city dropped from 52.7 percent to 51.6 percent.

“Following national trends in other metropolitan areas, the percentage of renter households is increasing in Baltimore. However, rent affordability is a burden for more than 50 (percent) of Baltimore renter households, and the neighborhoods with higher rates also have high rates of housing voucher use,” according to the Vital Signs report.

The city neighborhoods, according to BNIA, with the greatest percentage of tenants paying more than 30 percent of income in rent:

Belair-Edison: 69.9 percent Washington Village/Pigtown: 67.2 percent Madison/East End: 66.3 percent

Communities with the lowest percentage of tenants paying more than 30 percent of total household income in rent:

Canton: 30.3 percent Fells Point: 32.3 percent

The median household income in the Baltimore area in 2018, which includes nearby suburban jurisdictions, is $94,400 a year, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Affordable housing is broadly defined as rental properties offering reduced rent for residents making up to 80 percent of the area median income. The Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s regional plan for sustainable development estimated in 2015 the region needed 70,000 more affordable housing units.

Terrell Askew, a member of the Remington Housing Workgroup, speaks during a rally outside supporting affordable housing outside City Hall. (Adam Bednar)

One of the largest proposals to build new affordable housing in Baltimore is PSO Housing Co.’s planned $889 million redevelopment of the Perkins Homes, the former Somerset Courts public housing site, and the Old Town Mall area. That plan calls for 1,629 residential units, 126,400 square feet of retail, and 209,015 square feet of “employment space” in East Baltimore.

Roughly 45 percent of the residential units are slated for residents making 30 percent or less of the area median income, the equivalent of a family of four making $28,450 a year.

Affordable housing activists in Baltimore have sought to provide more affordable units in the city. In 2016, city voters approved a trust fund to set aside revenues to build affordable housing units. But there was no dedicated revenue stream for the fund.

The Baltimore City Council, on Monday, approved a bill expected to provide $13 million annually to the fund. Mayor Catherine Pugh, who has promised to sign the legislation, also agreed to provide the fund with $7 million in additional city money by 2020.

Pugh has also created a community investment fund that’s expected to provide more than $50 million to spur revitalization efforts in city neighborhoods. Some of those funds are expected to go toward affordable housing.

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Baltimore City Council votes for tax increases on real estate transactions to raise $20 million for affordable housing

The Baltimore City Council voted unanimously Monday to hike taxes on real estate transactions to fund a $20 million Affordable Housing Trust Fund, earning cheers from advocates but concern from the city’s budget chief.

Council members backed a deal struck by Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and housing advocates to levy two excise taxes on certain transactions and other allocations to fund the trust to create, rehabilitate and preserve more than 4,100 affordable housing units in the next decade.

Activists, who cheered the council’s vote at City Hall, say the fund will help low-income residents who can’t find decent homes or apartments.

“This is really exciting,” said Odette Ramos, director of the Community Development Network of Maryland, who pushed for the fund’s creation. “The people this will serve, these are families who are really, really struggling.”

The legislation needs one more approval vote from the council before it advances to Pugh’s desk for her signature.

The city’s finance department raised concerns about the volatile nature of transfer tax revenues and the city’s already high tax burden. Baltimore charges twice as much in property taxes as surrounding jurisdictions.

“The burden placed on residents and businesses in the city is significant in comparison to both other local jurisdictions and major cities nationwide,” Robert Cenname, the city’s budget director, wrote in testimony submitted on the legislation. “Any additional tax increase has the potential to reduce investment in Baltimore, which in turn could erode general fund revenues.”

The bill was the subject of consternation among activists in the days leading up to the council vote over exemptions and a sunset clause.

The exemptions would deprive the fund of about $1.15 million, according to city estimates. They included one for residential properties valued at over $1 million, for up to two years, and another that would exempt construction loans for projects that are currently in the pipeline and have a building permit by the effective date of the new taxes, which is Jan. 1.

Josh Greenfeld, vice president of government affairs for the Maryland Building Industry Association, has said the group sought the exemption that would grandfather in development projects that already had received building permits. Greenfeld said it’s important to protect developers who have projects in the pipeline and have secured financing on the basis of the current tax rate. Adding a new excise tax on top of that increases costs and jeopardizes that financing, he said.

Matt Hill, a lawyer with the Public Justice Center, said that even with the exemptions, the bill is a positive development for Baltimore’s poorest residents.

“This is still huge. This is $20 million a year to invest in Baltimore neighborhoods,” Hill said. “Baltimore needs investment. We need to invest in our neighborhoods and our communities in a way that doesn’t displace residents. One cornerstone is to make sure we have permanently affordable housing.”

The council amended the bill on the floor Monday to strike the sunset clause, which would have allowed the tax increases to expire after seven years.

Voters approved a ballot measure in 2016 to create an affordable housing trust. When funding failed to materialize, activists launched a petition drive to get another measure onto the ballot in November of this year to require the city to devote a nickel of every $100 in assessed city property value to the trust. With voters generally approving such ballot questions, city officials negotiated an alternate funding stream in exchange for the activists’ dropping their referendum effort.

In August, the city announced the new excise taxes: an extra 0.6 percent tax on the transfer of real estate valued at more than $1 million, and an extra 0.15 percent tax on recordation fees for transactions of more than $1 million. The city estimated those taxes would generate about $13 million a year for the trust, and Pugh committed to providing additional funds to bring the total to $20 million by fiscal 2023.

“It’s going to really help us,” said Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young. “It would add to the affordable housing we’re already doing. With all the building going on in the city, so many people won’t be able to live in the city of Baltimore because the rents will be so high. It’s needed.”

Young encouraged the advocates to stop pressuring Baltimore and begin pressuring neighboring jurisdictions.

“I’d like to see the advocates come to Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, where there’s no affordable housing,” Young said. “Everyone comes to us — this should be a regional thing. There should be affordable housing all over the state.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Jean Marbella contributed to this article.

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Property Details for 141 S Robinson St

141 S Robinson St, Baltimore, MD 21224
141 S Robinson St, Baltimore, MD 21224
Property Features

*School data provided by National Center for Education Statistics, Pitney Bowes, and GreatSchools. Intended for reference only. GreatSchools Ratings compare a school’s test performance to statewide results. To verify enrollment eligibility, contact the school or district directly.

Property History for 141 S Robinson St
Year Taxes Land Additions Total Assessment 2019 $3,750 – + N/A = $158,900 2018 $3,670 – + N/A = $158,900 2017 $3,543 $80,000 + $75,500 = $155,500

The price and tax history data displayed is obtained from public records and/or MLS feeds from the local jurisdiction. Contact your REALTOR® directly in order to obtain the most up-to-date information available.

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Second-half domination: Ravens turn into Golden State of NFL

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens are the first team in 12 years not to allow a second-half touchdown in their first four games.

• Where are the touchdowns for Odell Beckham Jr.? • Mayfield faces rookie QB nightmare • Lawrence calls noodles secret to success • What-if story of Darnold and the Broncos • Night in jail changed life of Jets’ Anderson

Why have the Ravens dominated after halftime?

"Just call it coincidence," coach John Harbaugh said coyly.

"It’s kind of like a pitcher with a no-hitter," linebacker Terrell Suggs said, suggesting no one talk about it.

If you want to know why the defense has given up a total of nine points in the second half this season, you have to go across the country and venture into a different sport.

Ravens defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale revealed that the secret of the Ravens’ success is an offseason study on how the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors handle halftime. The Warriors are known for crushing teams in the third quarter, outscoring opponents by over 100 points in that period last postseason.

"They have short halftimes. We only have 12 minutes, right, at halftime," Martindale said. "So, it really has to be like an Indy pit crew in there, if you will. If you see the thing — the players are going to the bathroom, we have to get them back, some of them are in the training room getting something fixed or something taped or something else. So, it has to be a bang-bang thing. The assistants do a great job. I’ll address them first and talk about three bullet points, and every assistant has their role, how they do their position and everything else. It’s worked really well."

When Terrell Suggs and the Ravens come out of the locker room for the second half, they are the stingiest defense in the NFL, allowing just over two points per game in the final two quarters. Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports

The New York Times wrote a piece in May on the Warriors’ halftime ritual, describing it as "a high-speed 360-degree team review." The 15-minute routine features "a carefully choreographed production, featuring clips of game footage, wardrobe changes and managerial strategies straight out of business school."

Martindale has never spoken to Golden State coach Steve Kerr — "I wish I knew [Kerr]" — but the Ravens reached out to the Warriors and did extensive reading on what they did between the second and third quarters. The result: Baltimore ranks No. 1 in several second-half defensive categories, including yards per play (3.9), yards per game (123) and opponent passer rating (47.9).

Harbaugh challenges his staff to get better every day and study different aspects to improve how the coaches handle situational football.

"I think as a coach, if you’re not getting better — it’s not very good," Martindale said. "I give a lot of credit to that — on how we studied and how we looked at it and how we discussed it as a group."

Ravens safety Eric Weddle was surprised to hear that the team researched the Warriors.

“I never heard anything about that, studying halftime from an NBA game," Weddle said. "It will be interesting to see what they found out."

Last season, the Ravens were one of the best second-half teams, holding opponents to an average of 8.8 points. Their performance after halftime has been even better this year, with Baltimore limiting teams to 2.25 points.

"For us, it’s about making adjustments and just relying on the communication," Weddle said. "‘Wink’ has been, from day one, open about communication, what he expects, and honest with us. If we’re not playing well, if a guy is not in the rotation, you know why, and it’s everyone, including me. And that’s why, I think, we’ve been playing well. We play as one. There are no egos."

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